Flowing
by pfnelly
Summary: The road to acceptance is harder to follow than one would think. Zuko's struggles to be accepted, Katara's struggles to forgive, among others. Why is it that when forgiveness nears, something occurs to change Katara's mind? Discontinued.
1. Chapter 1

AN:** Hi, there. The name's PF. This is my first fanfic. I have another one being planned at the moment, but I wanted to put this one up before. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ does not belong to me and neither do its characters. However, if all goes according to plan -rubs hands and laughs evilly-... ;D**

Her eyes opened to reveal a light, clear sky. As she blinked her eyes while breathing in the fresh air surrounding her, she turned her head from the balcony and faced the other side of her room. There were no sounds coming from the hallways or the neighboring rooms. Suddenly, something hit her on the head from behind and an image of Mai and Ty Lee flashed in her mind. The thought sent her flying off the bed while she turned and drew some water from the elegant vase in the corner.

Nothing. Her heart slowed down just a bit before she turned the other way, half-expecting a jab to her neck or the crook of her arm. Still nothing. Now she was just starting to get angry. That's when she saw it, the small white tail curling up from behind a few baskets she'd recently placed on top of a shelf.

_Ha! I got you now_, she mentally taunted as a small smile replaced her frown. Swiftly moving her wrists, she sent the floating water behind the baskets and laughed when she heard the shriek confirming her victory. Momo jumped out from behind the baskets and wrapped himself around her neck, his ears covering her eyes.

"It's alright, Momo," she consoled him as she laughed. "I was just teaching you not to mess with me, that's all." She rubbed the side of her head, "What did you throw, anyways?"

She bent down and groped around in her covers, searching for the object that had so rudely interrupted her thoughts. Her fingers collided with a solid object and she grasped her fingers around it. She examined the object while trying to find out what it was. Turning it around and around, she finally decided it was a blade cover, and a fine one at that. The strong leather was covered with intricate lined designs and had some ivory pieces here and there that told her it was very valuable, which also meant it would be missed by its owner.

"Where'd you get this, Momo?," she questioned as she turned around, but her little companion had already left the room.

_Great, now I have to figure out who the owner is and explain why I have their property in my hands._

Sighing, she left her room and once again was surprised by the silence. She went outside to the courtyard and found the rope ladder she used to get to the stream. Hauling herself up, she finally noticed the loud grunts and thuds signaling an earthbending session nearby. _So, that's two of them, but where are the rest?_

Silently, she kept climbing until she reached the edge and flipped herself onto it. Looking around, she saw Aang and Toph battling it out with looks of fierce determination and concentration on their faces while Teo and the Duke watched.

"Hey, Katara," Teo said as he turned and waved at her, "Sokka told me to tell you he's out hunting. Haru went with him, too."

"'Kay, thanks, Teo!" _Hmm, maybe we'll finally have a decent dinner tonight after all. _

She kept on walking and finally entered the forest, taking out the cover from her belt and turning it over in her hands as she mused to herself.

_It's obviously not Sokka's, unless he bought it last time we were at a market… Hmm, no, he would've had to ask me for money. Could it be Haru'__s? How about…_

And so she kept wondering as she aimlessly walked around trees and bushes. Finally, she decided that it had to be Haru or Zuko's blade that belonged with the cover, and she fervently hoped that it was the former. She _so_ was not in any hurry to have to apologize to Zuko. Then again, she probably should apologize for her threat from yesterday.

_Ugh, yesterday…_ What the heck had driven her to give such a horrible threat to Zuko? It just wasn't like her! It seemed more like Sokka's thing to do, but even _he_ had started accepting the traitorous Prince. Well, that was probably what had driven her to do it: thinking of him as a traitor.

_He's changed, you _know_ he's changed. Hasn't he been with us for two days now? If he wanted to, he could've attacked us __while Combustion Man was here, or he could've done it while we slept. _She sighed, _He even put himself in an awkward position when he asked to join us. That must have been so hard for him, and here I am, threatening him and making him feel unwanted. Again, what the _heck_ was I thinking?! It must have been my monthly cycle, yes, that's what happened. I was just being hormonal. And I felt hurt—or, I _feel_ hurt. Why would he show me such a good, vulnerable and soft side__ of him__ just to turn around and help his sister kill Aang? It's like the whole Jet ordeal all over again. _

As she walked and mentally chastised herself, Katara hadn't noticed that she was nearing the stream that fed the beautiful fountain down in the temple. Finally, she became aware of her surroundings and felt a release of tension as she decided that the stream would be perfect for her to calm herself down and sort out her mind. She stripped down to her bindings without a second thought, setting her clothes down in a bundle on a rock with the cover, and stepped in the water.

Her arms graciously moved around her as she moved through various waterbending forms. Once she got a rhythm going, her mind started to wander and she felt her body relax.

_Jet… _Her brow furrowed at the thought of him.

_How is he? Did he survive? Were Smellerbee and Longshot able to care for him? __Jet had me so confused in the past few weeks. First, he's the charming prince that steals my heart, that is, until he attempted to take out a whole village to get back at the Fire Nation. But then the next time when we saw him, he was different. I _know_ he was different. Yet, I'm sure that any feelings I had for him had vanished long before and now he's only a friend. We've parted ways, but maybe we will meet again. Oh, spirits, please let us meet again. I _need_ to know he's alright._

_Is this how Sokka feels about Suki? He must be so worried, but he won't show it—he'd never show it. My Sokka… He's so strong. He's been through so much, and yet he always has enough of himself left to worry about me. If it weren't for him, I don't know what I would…_

Trembling, Katara opened her eyes and tried to calm her breath down. "Calm down, Katara, don't think about those things. He's here and that's what matters. You'll always have each other."

When she finally calmed herself down, she began the more complicated forms and started a new rhythm.

_And Aang… Will I always have him? He's such a gentle, free spirit. He's just what the world needs. He's become family to me and Sokka, along with Toph, and family protects family. __I will always be there to protect him, my little brother. __Yes, we'll always be there for each other._

She dropped the water and looked at her surroundings. The bent trees covered with moss and flowers, the rocks at each bank of the stream that were smoothed by the water, the sunlight dripping in through the foliage and caressing the soft, leaf-covered earth. She got lost listening to the sounds of the birds and the distant laughter of her friends. The wind caressed her skin and played with her hair…

It all made it so hard to believe that they were in the middle of a war; that in many places right now, people were suffering the loss of their homes and their dearest ones; that troops could be marching into villages and causing trouble.

Her head turned when she heard some rustling towards her left somewhere behind the trees. She could hear it was someone walking towards her. Then, Zuko stepped out and walked up to the stream. She lowered herself to the water, covering her exposed chest and gazed at him impassively, studying him.

He took off his clothing, stripping down to his underpants, and took off his shoes. She was surprised that he hadn't yet noticed her, but accepted the opportunity to watch him freely.

He had such a new air about him, he seemed so calm and… hopeful? Yes, he seemed hopeful. She wandered about his Uncle… Uncle… Uncle Iroh! That was it! Was he worried about him? What had Azula done to him once they'd taken him in, she said he was a prisoner, didn't she? But he was also a traitor to the Fire Nation. Of course Zuko must have been very worried.

As Katara thought about these things, Zuko had commenced meditating on top of a smooth rock at the stream's edge.

She chuckled to herself as she tried to think of what she would have thought yesterday if she caught herself worrying about Zuko—for spirits' sakes, she was even watching him now. Then, her chuckle turned into laughter, immediately alerting Zuko to her presence.

AN: **Well, there it is. Didcha like it? This being my first fic, it would be very, very helpful if you would drop me a review, just a couple of lines. Please tell me if you liked it or not, and heck, if you have the time to tell me _what_ you liked or didn't like, go for it! **

**Anyways, thanks very much for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

AN: **Hey all! Well, I'm really excited about this story, if I may say so. I thank you all so much for your reviews, I wasn't really expecting any. Thanks! So, go on to the story. Hope you like it.**

**Hey, I made some changes just now... It seemed incomplete when I first posted it, so I just added a couple of paragraphs at the bottom. **

He'd been breathing evenly, rhythmically, before the sound of laughter startled him. Zuko's eyes shot open and the flames hovering above his open palms rose dangerously before extinguishing. A fleeting thought of Azula was discarded after he thought that her laughter never sounded so… full of mirth. That was when he mentally placed the face that belonged with the laughter he'd just heard. Wasn't that Katara's laughter? He'd never heard it directed at him, but he _had_ heard it before. In the few seconds it had taken him to figure this out, his eyes had explored the scenery around him for the waterbender's shape, finally spotting her. She seemed to be pouting as she gazed at him.

"Aw, just when I was starting to figure the Prince out," she said as she approached his rock while walking against the soft current.

"Umm… er, what are you doing here?" he questioned as he averted his eyes from her exposed body. Why was she being so normal? Was that humor he'd heard in her voice? She'd threatened his life just yesterday!

"Not spying on you, if that's what you were thinking. Actually, I was waterbending and letting out some stress when you barged in." She finally reached the rock he was sitting on and sat opposite him with her back partially to the trees.

"Oh." _Great, is that all you can think of? Try to get on her good side, dum-dum. _He frowned as he realized that sounded an awful lot like Azula, but he couldn't bring himself to speak.

After a few beats of silence, she drew in a breath and pulled her legs towards herself, wrapping her arms around them.

"So, were you meditating just now?" she inquired.

"Uh, yeah. I…. have a lot to think about."

"Yeah, I can imagine."

He turned to her, already feeling anger flaring up within him. He was about to start on her, too, or leave—he wasn't sure—before she spoke again.

"I didn't mean it that way. I just… well, it must be hard."

"Oh." _Again with the lame monosyllables, huh?__ You're getting nowhere quick, Zuko._ "Yeah, it's okay, don't worry."

Katara's hands picked at the moss growing in the small cracks running through the rock's sides nervously, trying to distract herself, he noticed. His eyes flickered back to the stream, focusing on the rushing water. The silence enveloped them, taunting and poking at his sides.

"Would you like to learn the names?" she asked abruptly. At his confused look, she added, "The names of the people you are now traveling with. It might be useful seeing as how you will have to see them daily and calling them 'facial hair guy' or 'the little boy' won't cut it."

He almost laughed, but caught himself rapidly and smirked instead. "I guess I should, huh? So, what's the name of 'facial hair guy'?"

"That's Haru and 'the little boy' is the Duke."

"Hardly fitting."

"It's a misnomer, smart one. You know, like if Toph were to call you Prince Charming."

He scoffed, "And why would that be a misnomer? I could be charming… if I wanted to."

"Ha! Right. You mean if there was a blade pressed against your throat."

"Something along the lines of…"

"And you know, eventually, you will have to stop calling Aang 'The Avatar'. I know you know his name. You just refuse to use it."

He shrugged at her remark.

Her temper flared, "What, so you just don't care about him?!" Her hands shot out, calling water to her and flinging it at his head. Much to her frustration, Zuko's reflexes kicked in and he was soon off the rock and landing on all fours on the soft ground.

"It's not that I"—he jumped back again, avoiding an ice dagger—" don't care. I just"—he ducked under the whip aimed at his face—"don't feel comfort-"—his legs coiled and sprung forward, flinging him back up and behind the rock—"-able enough with him to use his name yet!"

Her attacks stopped for just a second while she considered this. "What do you mean? He's already accepted you into the group and forgave you for aiding your sister in his premature death," she angrily said to him as her whips flung to him.

With the use of the rock as his shield, he was able to answer her quickly, hoping to dissipate her anger. "I know he has, and that's exactly what bothers me. I don't feel like I've earned his forgiveness."

Katara was silent. _Great, what did I say now? _Her water dropped and her face shifted into its normal self.

"That's a pretty valid thought. I guess it's alright; but you have to start calling him Aang at some point or another, okay?"

_As long as you don't attack me again, _he thought. "Okay."

They stood there awkwardly for about ten seconds, Zuko trying to assure himself that she really had calmed down and Katara… just standing there, really, as far as he could tell.

"How about we practice? I was doing some moves earlier today that I really want to try out in combat and see if they work", she stepped towards him hesitantly, holding out her palms.

His eyes narrowed. This could be her weird way of attempting to crack his skull again while distracting him with the term "practice".

"On one condition..." At her nod, he continued, "No over-aggressiveness."

She laughed, "Despite the fact that I think you just made up a word, sure, it's a fair condition."

So, they both shifted into their respective fighting stances—after Zuko stepped from behind the rock—and commenced launching and blocking their attacks on each other.

"Hmm, do you know my brother's name?" she unexpectedly said after a particularly stinging whip grazed his upper arm.

"Um… Water Tribe Peasant Number Two won't work, will it?" he responded without so much as a flinch.

"Negative."

"Fine, what is it?" he inquired, sending a series of fireballs at her.

"Sokka," she panted after moving to evade the fireballs while returning with her own ice daggers.

They kept interchanging comments and attacks in such a way for quite a while, until they were interrupted by the sound of movement in the bushes on the other side of the stream. Zuko transferred his attention to the bushes for a split second, failing to evade the small, but still dangerous ice dagger Katara had flung at him. Before he could move, the ice dagger had already come too close and soon made contact with the inside of his left thigh, cutting through the skin and various layers of tissue, finally embedding itself deep in the muscle.

Zuko's thunderous roar overflowed with pain was quick to come. It shook the trees and the birds flew into the sky at such a disruption of their quiet ambient. Anybody who had happened to be close enough to hear Zuko's roar would have thought it was an enormous beast in the vicinity and not a teenage boy who had emitted such a resonance.

He could faintly hear Katara's gasp as she ran to him, spilling her apologies into the air around them. She brought a hand up to his shoulder and placed the other one on his back, supporting him while gently bringing him into a lying-down position. Zuko's vision had blackened—not that it mattered much, since his eyes were scrunched shut in his attempt to control his breathing—and his hands were grabbing Katara's hips with such force it brought tears to her eyes; but she said nothing, instead moving quickly to stop his pain. Zuko struggled not to shoot flames out his palms while the pain cut into him. He could feel a warm liquid flow across his skin, covering his entire left leg with warmth. His head started to throb loudly and every two seconds, he'd have a horrible falling sensation. Finally, deciding to focus on her actions to distract himself from the pain, he felt her cut his pants horizontally a couple of inches above the wound, then remove the fabric leaving his thigh bare to the world. Lightly, he felt her wrap something tightly around his thigh, which eventually stopped the constant flow of blood leaving his body from making him pass out. She had been talking to him the entire time, telling him random things, but he no longer paid attention. He just heard her voice in the back of his head, flowing constantly and smoothly, rhythmically and melodically.

There were new voices now and he concluded that he didn't quite like these two. One was talking very loudly and he thought it sounded annoying, while the other one just added itself in every few seconds. The melodious voice continued to speak, but he thought it was now arguing with Annoying Voice. He smiled with satisfaction when he heard the melodious voice get louder, quieting the other two. In the quiet he could hear footsteps all around him, then something sharp poked his side. His right hand moved from the clothes it was tightly wrapping to his side and grabbed the object, pulling with it an arm. The left hand also released the clothes and grabbed the arm, holding on as tightly as he could. The Annoying Voice spoke again, this time louder, sounding shocked. A hand fell on his left one and tried to pry the fingers off the arm while the second voice and the melodious voice laughed. When the hand failed to move his fingers, it gave up and left.

Suddenly, he felt something cold being placed on his thigh, right on top of the wound; but instead of feeling pain as he would have expected, he had a weird sensation of numbness all over the area covered by the cold. Suddenly very interested in this new, cold feeling, Zuko opened his eyes and tilted his head up, looking down his chest. He saw a brown-skinned spirit with her hands on his thigh; they were glowing, the light reflecting on her face and blue orbs. He imagined it was a vision and he slurred something to her about undressing him and being too close to something before his head dropped and he felt blackness pour all over him.

Zuko opened his eyes. Dark. The darkness was all around him. His thigh did not hurt and his head wasn't throbbing any longer. Sadly, the cold feeling and the melodious voice weren't there anymore, either. He groggily reached his hand up this head.

_What happened? Where am I? Maybe I'm dead..._

_His sister would have laughed at his thoughts and cluelessness. His father would have called him weak for being afraid. Wait, was he afraid? _After a few seconds of consideration he concluded that, no, he was not afraid. _It's actually sort of calming in here. _He could feel that he was lying down on the ground, but he couldn't see the ground, it just blended in with the rest of the darkness. Maybe he shouldn't move... for all he knew he was lying on a small piece of earth hovering above a great, empty and bottomless expanse. _How depressing..._ Slowly, little by little, he started to regain memory of what he had been doing before he fell into this darkness. Alarm shot through him. What if Katara was here somewhere, too? He raised his head off the ground, it pivoted this way and that, but all he saw was black. _Nothing... of course. She'd probably be better off without me, anyways. _

He sighed, _I wish Uncle were here. _He closed his eyes when he felt moisture collect on the rim of his bottom lid, stinging and threatening to fall. _Uncle... where are you? I need you. I need to be with you and to hear your confusing ancient proverbs. I can't lose you, too. I've already lost the only other person who cared for me. _At this thought, the traitorous tears finally broke free from the dam, running freely along both of his cheeks, the smooth and the scarred. Realizing he had no longer held any control over them, he let them run and trail paths down his face. Amazingly, he felt serenity settle over him as the droplets flowed, cleansing him internally. After some time, when he knew it was all out, his eyes remained close while he sat up. His legs came to him and positioned themselves into meditation pose while his hands found themselves on top of his knees, flames above each. A rhythm settled into his breaths, the flames growing or shrinking as they came in and out. His mind wandered over many things, things he hadn't allowed himself to think of in years, things that hardly mattered, things that meant everything,... Voices spoke to him-- his mother's voice, his uncle's voice, his sister's voice, and his father's voice. Voices he'd just started to appreciate-- Katara's and Aang's. He heard that girl he stole the ostrich-horse from, that little boy he'd met in the Earth Kingdom... All of them spoke to him as he meditated and time passed by, quickly or slowly, he was not sure.

Finally, he finished. He had no idea how long he'd been meditating, but he stood up. For the first time since he'd arrived here, he looked down at himself. His brow quirked when he saw that he was wearing his Fire Nation clothes once again, but on top of that, he was glowing. He touched his chest, testing to see if it was real, and his fingers felt the fine fabric. Confused, his eyes shot back up, looking for something to answer his numerous questions. Then, he saw something distant and bright in the distance. It seemed to be growing, coming closer to him. He stood expectantly, ready to fight if necessary. The bright thing grew larger until he realized it was not one thing, it was _two_, and they were definitely _not_ things. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly, the two things that were now flying towards him where Avatar Roku and his dragon. Zuko shook his head and composed himself before the two finally arrived and stopped in front of him. Avatar Roku stepped off the dragon, patting it as he left it and walked towards an astonished Zuko. Not too stunned, however, to ignore manners; he knelt before the man and touched his forehead to the fists he'd set on the ground in front of his knees.

"Rise, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation," boomed the voice of the mighty bender.

Zuko obeyed and stood up. His eyes met the Avatar's and he saw that he, too, was glowing. He was at a loss of words, not knowing what he could possibly say to the man (or was it a spirit) standing not five feet away from him.

"This meeting I have long awaited has finally come. It is time for you to know your destiny."

Zuko's widened eyes were brought back to their normal size as he covered his face with impassiveness. "I am ready," he said solemnly.

"As I thought. Let us begin."

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AN: **That was Chapter 2. Did you like it? Did you hate it? Did you...uh... not think much of it? Anything that you felt, I would be more than glad to hear about it in a review. I've already written a bit of Chapter 3, but I really surprised myself with how I ended this one. So, I'll bet you'll want to know how I'll work it in the next one. Thanks for reading. Cookies for reviewers!**

**PF Nelly**


	3. Chapter 3

AN: **Aloha, dearests. How are you today? After some intense standardized testing, I decided I needed some therapy-- writing therapy. Thus, I present to you Chapter 3 of Flowing, and Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfiction. I hope it is to your liking and if it's not, then don't you dare touch the snacks I'll set at the end of the chapter for the nice people who did enjoy it and reviewed... I have trained killer hawks watching the plates. On a lighter note... Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, you make me smile. Those who've added me on alerts or faves, you make me smile, too. After all that ado...**

**ENJOY!**

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**"Absolutely stupid!" 

Katara had been scolding herself thus for the past four minutes. She had just finished healing Zuko's thigh and was now in the process of cutting her sleeve off as an improvised bandage. She'd already used her other sleeve to tie above the wound, cutting of blood circulation.

Unable to forgive herself for injuring the latest addition to their little troupe, she kept rolling over the events and thinking of a million ways she could have avoided it. It had all gone so wrong in so little time; fortunately, Katara was able to heal the tissue ruptured by the dagger and heal the scar, leaving just a barely visible line so pale that it blended in with his skin. She'd sent Haru to collect some herbs from her room and Sokka to call the others, informing them of the events. When Sokka first arrived, he'd been screaming at the top of his lungs and flinging his warrior's club around wildly in the air. Apparently, he'd first thought that Katara was in danger and was fighting Zuko, who was "prone to turn around and start attacking them at some point". Then, he'd heard Zuko's roar and mistook it for one of rage rather than pain, so he hurried to save his little sister. When he stepped in and saw Katara in bindings with her hands on Zuko's bare thigh he started sputtering unintelligible sounds as his hands pointed and shook. Katara was able to (eventually) shut him up and instead get Zuko to let go of his fierce grip on her hips. When Zuko's head bent upwards to look at her, she momentarily lost concentration and struggled with herself not to stop her healing and beg him to forgive her. Before she could say anything, however, it dropped back down and he quietly slipped away, leaving her to her guilty brooding.

In the end, she also blamed Sokka; after all, it was he who had distracted Zuko the very second the dagger was flung. Had it not been for his paranoia, triggered by the sounds of "vicious fighting", as he'd claimed, Zuko would now be healthy… and conscious.

This particular detail troubled Katara. He had lost some blood—the cut _was_ deep—but not enough to make him lose consciousness. Besides, she knew that he could take the pain; many a time had she been frustrated when he failed to show any signs of hurt after an exceptionally stinging attack.

Sighing the thoughts away, she wrung a wet rag, placing it on the wound and cleaning it one last time. However, she noticed the warmth that was seeping through the rag into her palm and frowned. Placing her other hand on his right leg, she felt the same warmth and hastily took it away. When had this warmth entered him? It was possible that it was a fever or some weird firebender thing she didn't know about, but it concerned her greatly.

She looked up to his face. His defined, manly features could not be ignored and for the first time, she realized how handsome this boy was. Her hand rose and came to rest on his cheek, the scarred one. This time she'd expected the warmth, so she did not take her hand away when it met her palm. With her right hand she called water from the stream to her and placed it on the other side of his face. She leaned closer to blow on it and cool it with a breath.

"Katara!" she heard Aang's voice, startling her.

"What the…!" followed Sokka's closely after.

Pulling back, Katara glanced towards the trees, at Aang and Sokka's confused and surprised faces. Her gaze fell on her hands for a second before coming back up to meet their gapes once again. Realizing what they were thinking, she attempted to explain, "I was just—"

"What the heck do you think you're doing?!" interrupted a shrill voice belonging to her sibling.

"Let me explain!"

"Katara, this just really doesn't look very—" started Aang.

"Listen!" she demanded angrily. "All I was doing was breathing on some water that I placed on his cheek to cool his skin because he has a fever or some weird firebender disease that makes him extremely warm to the touch, so I don't need _you_"—she pointed angrily a Sokka—" coming in here and making stupid assumptions or demanding anything from me!"

Sokka's indignant look instantly fell while Aang took two steps back and hid behind Sokka.

As soon as she was done and she was sure they weren't going to respond, Katara called the water back to her and tried again to finish what she'd been doing before the interruption. When she finally took her hands back, however, she felt the warmth still there; the water hadn't done anything to cool him down.

"Do you want us to take him back to the temple?" Aang offered meekly, walking towards her.

"Yeah, that'd probably be best," she said in a quiet voice. "I'm sorry for lashing out at you guys, I'm just a bit stressed is all."

"Don't worry about it, we understand," Aang replied in an impressive change of mood into a peppy one. "Come on, Sokka, help me pick him up."

Between the two, they started to carry Zuko to the temple, they met with Toph and Haru halfway there and got them to help carry the Prince with some earthbending. Katara had just sat there when they left; she was tired and hungry—the inseparable combo. Without noticing, most of the day had slipped away and the night was starting to fall on them. At last, she stood and gathered Zuko's pants and her now sleeveless garments. Something bright sparkled in the corner of her eye and she moved her attention to it, finding the blade cover she'd been examining earlier in the morning. Picking it up, she started back towards the temple.

Entering her room, Katara dropped onto her bed, letting the tiredness of her muscles seduce her into a type of paralysis in which only her chest moved as breaths entered and departed her body.

"Hey, Sweetness," Toph's voice called from the doorway.

"Mmmo Muph," called Katara from her pillow, breaking her state of inactivity.

"I was just wondering if I'm gonna have to be the one to cook whatever Snuffles and Hairy caught today or if I should just tell them to eat it raw."

Rolling over, Katara looked Toph over before asking her to come sit with her. "Ha-ha, I know that nobody here cooks except for me, but could you guys give me a few minutes?"

"I was joking, Princess. I just need to see if you're alright. I heard all about today. So… _are_ you alright or not?"

"Yeah, I am. Or I will be. The healing just took some energy out of me."

"Well, I, for one, think it was good of you to be talking to Prince Boy. Am I to assume that you're all rainbows and butterflies with him now?"

"Rainbows and butterf—? No! …Yes. Maybe? I'm not sure, really. All I know is that I need to give him a chance." _Again_, she added mentally. "It will be a long time before I can fully trust him, but he deserves one more try, doesn't he?" she said turning to look at her blind friend.

Toph smiled, "You got that right." Punching Katara's shoulder she added, "I'm just glad you can finally see it."

"…Yeah," Katara rubbed her arm and muttered, "finally."

"Well, stop sulking and come on! We got a dinner to cook!"

"We?"

Toph laughed, "You're right, what was I thinking? _You_ have a dinner to cook."

---

Katara cooked the meal rapidly, constantly pushing herself to finish as quickly as she could. Before they could all gather down to eat, she munched down her own food, ignoring the comments from the ones arriving. She cleared her dishes and served another plate, then announced that she was going to check up on Zuko. At this, Aang replied that he'd meet her there in a while.

Walking briskly, Katara hurried down the breezy hallways, clutching her bare arms. She finally stood before Zuko's closed door and taking a deep breath, pushed it open. The dark room had only moonlight shining in from the window as a source of light. Guided by the blue light, she walked up to his bed and stood awkwardly next to it. Her eyes were fixed on his face, it was blank and it looked like he was just resting. Her sight lingered on his cheek for a moment before she shook her head and turned towards his leg. She set down the small bowl and the cup on the table next to the bed. Pulling back the blanket, his legs were revealed. They hadn't put on his pants and she was grateful because this way she could inspect the thigh without any obstacles. After checking and finding everything perfectly well, she turned to his forehead. It was still very warm, too warm for her liking. Knowing that water would not do anything to cool him, she tried to think of anything else. Nothing came up, causing her to exhale loudly.

Was he in pain? No, his face was very peaceful. Why was he still unconscious? She had no idea. When would he come back? Again, she was empty-handed.

She heard a sound at the door and turning, found Aang standing there. "I don't know what to do."

"It's okay."

"Is it, really? I have no clue what's happening to him or why or when he'll be back, _if_ he's back."

"He will be back."

"You know where he is?"

"I think I do."

"How?" Katara questioned, surprise and relief flowing through her entire body at this announcement.

"I can't say. Just know that he'll be back when he's ready."

She looked back to Zuko. He was okay. He was okay! _He's okay, _her mind sung.

"Thanks, Aang," she said turning to him and smiling.

"For what?" Now _he_ was confused.

"I've been feeling guilty all afternoon. I just can't wait until he comes back."

"What happened between the two of you? What happened to _you_?_"_ he asked.

"I… I decided to give him another chance, Aang. He deserves it."

Aang beamed, "I'm so glad Katara!" He threw his arms around her in a happy embrace, which she responded to by hugging him back, smiling. "I just know that he's going to be a big help in defeating the Fire Nation, Katara, _and_ he does have to teach me firebending!" he exclaimed excitedly, frowning a bit at the firebending part.

Katara laughed, "Don't worry about firebending, Aang. I know you'll be able to control it this time. We have to get out of here, though, he has to rest, no matter _what_ he's doing now." _And I need to rest, too; it's been a really long day._

Before moving, though, she slipped her hand in a fold of her skirt and pulled out the blade cover, placing it in a drawer and taking the bowl. She made her way out and joined Aang. As they silently walked down the corridors, she listened for any sounds coming from the courtyard where her friends would be. Sokka's laughter met her ears, bringing a small smile to her face.

"Where are we going?" she asked when she noticed they weren't walking towards the courtyard.

"Eh, you'll see. Race you there!" exclaimed Aang and started running down a hallway.

Katara ran as well, laughing. "It's not fair! You actually know where we're going!"

Aang's laughter echoed in the hallway's tall ceilings, "I never said it was!" and he airbended himself up to a wall, now running horizontally on it.

Their race came to an end when they reached an open garden. The moonlight shone on the countless blooming flowers, some facing the night sky and others hanging from enormous trees with equally massive trunks. A fountain rippled gently in the center, its melodic sounds flowing over the entire field clearly, the only sound in the lonely night. Stone paths wound through the flowers and the trees, reflecting the moon's light brightly with their pale colors.

"Wow, it's beautiful," Katara whispered in awe as her eyes drank in the scene.

"I know. The monks came here for its serenity and peacefulness; it's a great place to meditate."

"Can we step in?" she asked shyly.

"Of course. Let's walk towards the fountain."

At the fountain, the two sat down quietly, each in their own mind. Time passed by slowly, unnoticed by either one of them. Finally, Aang, turning to Katara, broke the spell.

"Katara… there's something I have to tell you."

His serious voice made Katara turn to his face with curiosity. Knowing that he commanded her entire attention, he continued. "Ever since I met you, I felt something new start to grow inside of me. I knew you were different, and as time passed by, I got to know you better and this…. thing kept growing within me… in my heart." His gaze bore into hers intensely, telling her more than words ever could as his feelings poured into this one look.

Katara swallowed nervously. Her chest had constricted about midway through his small speech. How could she not have seen this sooner? She could have stopped it! Now, here she sat, with her best friend pouring his heart into her hands and she was about to let it all splash to the floor. She had to speak before the silence grew too long and devastated him more than words could.

Looking down for a second, Katara started, "Aang I… I need you to know that you are very important to me. You are my best friend and I hope that never changes. That's why… it's so hard to tell you that I don't feel the same way." When his expectant eyes fell to the floor and he moved to stand, Katara grabbed his arm. "No, Aang, hear me out," she pleaded gently. "I may not love you that way. But I do love you. I love you as a friend, as a brother. Please, tell me we can still be friends…"

Her eyes implored him to say yes, that it would all be okay. As the pause lengthened, Katara filled with panic, fearing she was losing her best friend all over again and that there was nothing she could do. He gave her a small, sad smile. "Katara, I will never stop being your friends. Just as I will never stop loving you."

Without her noticing, her eyes had filled up with tears at fear of losing her best friend. She laughed and pressed the back of her hands into her eyes, "I'm so glad, Aang." Turning her body, she pulled him into a tight embrace and they held on for a long time, as Katara's tears ran down her cheeks.

----

Later on, Katara lay in bed resting blissfully as her body recuperated its strength and her mind cleared itself for the night. The cool breeze passed through the open window and over her uncovered shoulders and arms, gently enveloping her skin with coolness. The only sounds heard outside were those of the nocturne critters and the distant rippling of the stream. At that moment, the girl inhaled a soft, unheard breath while someone three rooms away exhaled their own in a piercing scream.

* * *

AN: **That is that. I know, I'm horrible. It's a succulent ending though, you must admit. I know I've been updating quickly, but I think I might have a case of first-fic-euphoria-itis. Anyways, feel free to help yourself to the warm fudge brownies (if you're sure the hawks won't sense something wrong with you) and review. Thanks so much for reading my story.**

**PF**


	4. Chapter 4

AN: **Here's Chapter 4 for my dearest readers. I know it took me long, please forgive (that _is_ the theme of the story hihihihi). Er.. Well, enjoy.**

**

* * *

****Previously in Flowing…**

_He's changed, you _know_ he's changed._

"_I know he has, and that's exactly what bothers me. I don't feel like I've earned his forgiveness."_

"_That's a pretty valid thought. I guess it's alright; but you have to start calling him Aang at some point or another, okay?"_

"_Rainbows and butterf—? No! …Yes. Maybe? I'm not sure, really. All I know is that I need to give him a chance." _Again_, she added mentally. "It will be a long time before I can fully trust him, but he deserves one more try, doesn't he?"_

* * *

Zuko's eyes tore open as the knife-like cry ended, its memory still ringing loudly in his head. They immediately shut again in a grimace as his hands shot up and grabbed his exploding head. A grunt escaped his lips; the overbearing pain jumbled his mind, leaving it in a state of confusion. The surrounding darkness had hurt his vision, and pain detonated throughout his head and neck area. Disorientation seemed to be seeping in, but he still wanted badly to investigate about the sound that had woken him up. It had sounded so urgent and… hurt. Unfortunately, the disorientation joined forces with darkness, pushing him helplessly into a deep slumber.

_No! … Trouble… screamed… hurt, _he mumbled into the air before giving in.

* * *

Fighting the entangling sheets of her bed, Katara rushed out of her room blindly, sleep having completely deserted her by now. She called the water from the jar with her as her feet pushed her past the doorframe, running down the hall in the direction she'd heard the scream come from. As fast as her feet were going, however, her mind was tripling their speed and had already imagined a hundred different scenarios in which those she loved most and held the closest had been injured. Her eyes scanned the hallways, looking for something—anything—that would serve to dissipate her worries as she neared the room. Out of breath, she arrived to a room where Sokka lay sprawled on the floor in a lifeless mess of limbs and her breath caught in her throat, releasing her hold on the hovering water. Moisture gathered in her eyes at the sight and she rushed to her brother's side looking—_hoping, pleading_—for a sign of life. She released a soft whimper when she felt his chest rise slightly, but she did not stop investigating. The new objects of her search were wounds or anything, really, that would tell her what had happened to her brother.

Toph rushed into the room with a loud rumble and mild splatter of rocks as her means of transportation came to a stop. Her eyes widened in Katara and Sokka's direction when she must have felt Sokka on the ground and Katara kneeling next to him. "His heartbeat is very faint," she announced quietly, barely audible.

* * *

Nodding, Katara asked her to take him to his room with the help of Haru, who had just arrived to the scene. She wiped at her eyes as she was left alone in the room once again. Questions, all unanswered, poured into her mind, nagging for attention and to be solved while she let her eyes roam over the few objects scattered around in the room, Zuko's few possessions. Her eyes finally fell on Zuko's lying form in the midst of rumpled sheets, holding his head and a look of pain evident on his scarred face. She was not surprised to find that instead of the usual concern she would feel at such a sight, she felt nothing. Eyes narrowing, she convinced herself that it was his fault Sokka had gotten hurt; that meant he'd already hurt two of the people she loved. Shaking her head, she looked to the window, towards Yue's half-darkened face in the night sky.

_What… What is happening here?_ She questioned to no one in particular as she turned her back on Zuko, walking out the door without a second glance.

She neared Sokka's room where it seemed everyone was gathered and talking quietly. As soon as she appeared at the door, all eyes centered on her, transmitting different levels of empathy and compassion. Returning each one with a small, tired smile, she proceeded towards Sokka's bed, where he lay resting peacefully. She was careful not to reveal any emotions that would worry her companions on her face; she sat on the edge and put her hand on top of her sibling's own dark-skinned one.

"He's going to be okay," Aang said to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Katara turned her head slightly to look into his solemn eyes and not trusting her voice, she nodded. _Thank you,_ she mouthed to him.

Toph, probably sensing that Katara would want to be left alone with Sokka, herded everyone out of the room and finally, turned sightless eyes to her with a smile at the doorway. "Snuffles might be clueless, but he's strong, Sweetness. Tomorrow he's just going to spring up and start yakking about how hungry he is. Get some rest." With a yawn, she left Katara alone in the room watching over Sokka.

Had any of them arrived earlier, they would have seen Zuko's eyes glowing from beneath his pale lids.

* * *

The morning rays reached down to Zuko's face, which he was still holding tightly in his palms, alerting him of a new day. Trying and failing to open his heavy eyes, he turned his face towards the dark side of the room. Energy was ever so slowly coursing through his veins, reviving the feeling in his limbs as if they had been asleep. The feeling of a thousand needles pricking his pale skin gave him the oddest sensation and he ceased all movements. Lying, then, in his bed with his hands on his face, memories and snippets of recollections were poured before his closed eyes. Images of Avatar Roku, a dragon, ice, darkness, his father, Iroh, and thousands more appeared in his vision, staying but a split second before vanishing and being replaced by the next. His breath quickened and his chest moved rapidly as the pace picked up. Ending with a cherished still image he had of his mother, the pictures ceased and darkness overcame. His other senses seemed to take a cue from this instance and commenced reporting to his brain. The sounds of nature reached his ears, as well as that of his slowing breaths; a pain in his right hand suddenly spread out, burning and freezing at the same time. The taste of blood registered in his mouth and reported to his head, making him frown. The weight on his lids was finally released and he was able to open them, revealing the light.

He remembered the dagger that had dug its way deep into his thigh, almost meeting the bone, and his hand instinctively shot towards the wounded area. Besides a faint remaining pricking feeling on his finger pads, he felt nothing on the inside of his thigh, but smooth skin.

_Must have been that spirit._

With the dagger came thoughts of that one he'd been fighting. He frowned, hadn't he heard a sound in the foliage? What if somebody had found them and overpowered Katara, taking them captives? Before he could continue that line of thought, the Avat—Aang appeared at his door. His face was unusually set to a solemn look.

"What did you do, Zuko?"

Zuko's eyes flickered from the stormy grey eyes now narrowed in suspicion to his own hands. He stared at them as if questioning what mess they'd gotten him into. "I… I don't know what you're talking about," he responded lamely, truthfully.

Aang sighed, slumping his shoulders. "That's what I was afraid of," he said as he walked to stand next to Zuko's bed.

"What happened?" asked Zuko as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I… I'm not so sure either. All I know is that last night I was awakened with a loud scream, so I ran down the hall and arrived to your room where I found Sokka on the floor barely breathing. Katara arrived and searched him, and then we took him to his room."

Zuko took it all in slowly, letting it sink in. After a long pause, he risked asking it. "So… they all think… they think it's my fault, don't they? That I did something to Sokka."

"I…- Well, they—the thing is-- … Yes," Aang responded quietly.

_Of course, everything was going to well. Something had to go wrong, _Zuko convinced himself calmly.

"Is there anything I can do to change their minds?"

"No. We'll just have to wait until we can talk to Sokka." At Zuko's crestfallen face, he quickly added, "but I believe you, Zuko! I… I don't think you'd do anything to Sokka."

"Thank you, Aang."

The younger boy's eyes widened. "Whoa, what did you just call me?" he asked.

"Aang. It _is_ okay for me to call you Aang?" he asked looking up at the boy.

"What makes you think it is?" Aang asked, his voice icy.

Zuko's mouth opened and closed, searching for something to say, but a mere second later Aang laughed, "Of course it is, Zuko!"

Zuko's eyes narrowed, "That's _Prince_ Zuko to you."

"What! I—but we—and you—"

Zuko smirked, "Settle down, I was just playing."

"The Prince of the Fire Nation playing? Maybe now Momo will start talking," piped in a new voice. Both boys turned towards the door and found Toph standing leaning against the frame.

"Hey, Toph! Come on in, we were just talking about last night," Aang invited cheerfully and the earthbender complied.

"So, what exactly happened last night?" she questioned with a voice as suspicious as Aang's had been.

"I don't know," Zuko said, hoping the human lie detector could tell he was being honest.

"Hm, you're telling the truth… So just tell us what happened to you, you look like hell and your heart was beating wildly last night," she ordered him.

Frowning at her comments about his appearance, he muttered, "As much as I'd like to, I can't exactly remember everything." He paused for thoughts, then continued almost to himself, "Meditating would probably help, though. I need to get out of here."

"Can I come with you?" pleaded Aang. Looking up at him doubtfully, Zuko considered it.

"You won't interrupt me," he stated and the Avatar nodded eagerly. "You won't talk," he added and Aang nodded more vigorously. Sighing, he gave in, "Sure, but if you do any of those two, you'd better hope your airbending will give you speed."

Grinning, Toph added with a sense of finality, "Alright, I'm going, too; can't miss out on a chance to see Sparky kick Twinkletoes all the way back to the temple. Oh, and Sparky--" Zuko looked at her inquisitively—"you're gonna have to carry me there." At this, she raised a foot and pointed to the still pink bottom of it, smirking.

Zuko hissed and muttered, "Right. Fine, I'll do it."

* * *

Something was hitting her head lightly but continuously. Katara tried to reach up and grab it—whatever it was—but a pain in her shoulders and her neck stopped her from finishing the action. Dropping her arm, she hissed softly and opened her eyes. When they finally settled and got used to the light, she looked at what lay in front of her. It was feet. Confused, she tried to figure out where she was, until a voice cut in loudly.

"Hey! Are you up? Good, you sleep like a platypus bear, Katara," the voice continued muttering about sleeping legs until she realized who it was that spoke to her.

"Sokka!" she said loudly, delightedly, lifting her body and ignoring the pain in her neck. Her brother's face came into view and she threw her arms around his neck as he protested loudly.

"Hey! Whoa, calm down. Settle down! I know I look good in the morning, but for spirits' sakes, woman, get a hold of yourself…" he continued rambling as his sister started sobbing into his neck. His voice got softer when he noticed she was crying, "Katara, Katara, calm down. What's wrong? You alright?"

She sniffed loudly and nodded her head, still unable to talk. His arms came up to her back and started patting her awkwardly. "Shh, shh, calm down. It's okay. Everything's okay, Katara," he comforted quietly.

Minutes later, when she finally started breathing regularly, Katara pulled back and looked at her brother's face. Smacking him strongly in the arm she said angrily, "No, it's not okay! You had me so worried! What happened to you?" then her voice dropped and she hugged herself. "I was so scared; I thought I'd lost you, Sokka."

"I'm sorry, Katara," he said staring intently into her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't be there. I couldn't have protected you if something _had_ happened to you." She sighed, "What happened?"

Her brother took in a deep breath and began explaining the events of the past night.

AN: **So, what'd did you think? I reeeaally want to know your opinions on it (negative, positive, neutral) and if you have any suggestions for improvement... drop me a review. And for those that do, here are the chocolate covered strawberries... and milk! Woohoo! **

**Oh, but I've also got bad tidings. I won't be able to write for a few weeks because I will be traveling and my pc-access shall be restrivted. Can I count on you guys to still be here when I'm back? **

**'Til the next one, PF smiles for you.**


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